In a missive sent to homeowners Friday, District 13's council member, Jennifer Staubach Gates, says that after consulting with the Dallas City Attorney's Office, it has been determined that folks owning property "abutting the wall" between Midway and Rosser Roads in Northwest Dallas are responsible for maintaining the section of the wall "that abuts your property in compliance with the Dallas City Code." There's more, as you can see from the missive below, but long story short: Her letter should end any discussion about whether it belongs to city or the county following the recent discovery of a 1967 document showing the property upon which the wall was built was gifted to Dallas County by the Glen Hills Developers responsible for its original construction.

Says Gates, "the city never accepted the wall when the county tried to turn it over," and since it's in the public right of way, tag, the homeowners are it.

The Glen Meadow Estates Home Owners Association could formally apply for a license to take control of the wall, but they could only do so, says Gates, with the approval of the neighbors who are up against the wall. That would include Danny Scott and Gary Chitwood, who share a house directly behind the decorated barrier and have said they don't care for the mural, which was originally the handiwork of W.T. White High School students looking to erase years' worth of hideous graffiti. The city council would also have to approve the license, which comes with a few fees.

Gates says she's yet to hear from the folks who repainted the wall in recent months or the two men who believe the existence of the mural is a "HIDEOUS EYE SORE” that “detracts from the value of our neighborhood," in Scott's words. But someone's eventually going to have to do something: As Gates notes, the are "stability issues" along the wall, and at some point it'll need to be more than just repainted. It could need to be repaired.

"This wall is one of many I have in the district, and what do we do when we notice there are stability issues?" she says. "With this wall, I view it as: There is pride there, and people who want to take care of it because of the history. The HOA could put money toward the wall; there could be a fund. And there could be a lot of community support because of its history."

But if it falls down, it's not the city's problem.

"We could dig deeper, and there could be a code issue," says Gates, "but we would direct that responsibility to the homeowners. And issues will arise in the future as the wall needs maintenance. I think it wold be in the neighbors' best interest to formally adopt the wall."